Relic Does Game Jam 2017!

By

Andy Bergin

Posted On 01.27.2017

Global Game Jam is an international event that’s all about folks who love games getting together for one weekend, and making something awesome. Kind of up our alley, don’t you think? Then it should come as no surprise that last weekend we were proud sponsors of Global Game Jam Vancouver for the fourth year in a row. Of course, it’s not about writing cheques. We put our money where our mouth is and sent a team of Relicans to take part in the Jam itself.

Each year’s Jam has its own theme, and this year, it was waves. People got pretty creative with it; some teams did “waves’ of enemies while others did sound waves, or even waves in the ocean. It was great to see such a variety of games spawned from the same simple concept.

Our squad put together a cool game called Narwhals in the Sky, where one of the main mechanics was detecting enemy threats with sonar waves. The objective is to collect pearls while angelfish, sharks and octopuses try to stop you. The game was fleshed out with tons of cool features and mechanics, and by the end of the weekend it even had a level editor!

Fueled by pizza, shawarma, and other nutritious delicacies, our team put in a champion effort. One of our co-ops, Keegan, even stayed all of Friday night undertaking a ferocious programming marathon.

One of the great things about Game Jam is that it’s a refreshing opportunity for people to get creative and take on different challenges than they normally would in the studio. Sarah, one of our designers, mainly created artwork, while Rohit, one of our programmers, did almost no programming and spent his time designing the game.

After the Jam itself was finished, our squad got the chance to chill out, mingle with other devs, and enjoy what the Jam is all about: playing some truly awesome games. Once again, Vancouver jammers came correct, with over 367 participants making close to 70 games over the course of the weekend. It’s so encouraging to see our city stepping, and we couldn’t be prouder to be a part of that. See you next year!